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Well, I went to visit my Brother in Yorba today and I told him we would go see the Fender Visitor center, take the tour and basically hang out for the day. We brought my 10yo godson/nephew along and it was a hoot.

We got to the center just after the 10am tour, so we looked around the museum, played with the samples on the wall, watched the great videos of Leo, George, the old days, and such. Checked out the semi custom room where you choose neck, body etc. By then it was time to take the tour. Interesting note, they have Fender, Jackson, Gretch, Guild and EVH in the visitors center.

I did not know that Fender makes most all the parts themselves right there, from stamping scratch plates, to bridge or trem assembly, they make it there. In addition they cut, and mill all the wood, body, neck, fingerboards in house as well as hand assembly for the switches, wires and winding the pickups. They shape and finish both nitro and poly as well as manufacture jackson, and evh in house as well. The facility was extremely clean and everone there looked like they liked the job.

We even went to the custom shop, and met several of the artists there, and I met A. Yabarra who wound my pickups on one of my CS Strats. She was very nice and gracious. THey showed off several of the fantastic artists guitars you may see in the Custom SHop calendar.

These guys have two tours a day, and they all appeared genuinely happy to see the visitors.

My nephew never knew that there were so many steps involved and was in awe. (I was too) I have a much greater appreciation of how much craftsmanship goes into each guitar, bass, and amp.

I had I phone, and Brother in law had camera, but I just wanted to experience, not be photo journalist guy for the day. I had contemplated the dslr but determined that I would remember more and have more fun with tour and my memories than me with camera in front of my face. I have a crap load of times where I have more recolection of the F stops than the pit stops, so to speak.

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